On a roll: Canada trade war could hike toilet paper costs for Americans
The trade war between the United States and Canada may leave Americans in an uncomfortable position as toilet paper prices are set to rise.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney vowed to match President Donald Trump’s 50 percent tariffs “dollar for dollar” and on Tuesday, unveiled a list of nearly 900 American goods that will face tariffs of 25-50 percent.
That list includes “toilet paper or face tissue stock,” which will be subject to a 25 percent tariff.
Many toilet paper products, like Procter & Gamble’s Charmin, are manufactured in the U.S. But many of those products are made with imported Canadian lumber, The Guardian reports.
Under current trade conditions, that’s a tough spot for a company to be in. Not only will U.S. companies be hit with tariffs when they import the raw material, but will feel costs a second time when trying to sell products in Canada.
In 2024, the U.S. imported $328 million of toilet paper from Canada, according to the World Bank. It is by far the largest toilet paper exporter to the U.S.
Last summer, Procter & Gamble said that it would have to increase Charmin prices due to tariffs in place at the time, CNN reports.
The U.S. accounts for more than 20 percent of global tissue consumption despite only having 4 percent of the world’s population, according to The Guardian.
Carney said Canada’s new tariffs will begin September 8. It’s unclear how much toilet paper costs will increase in the U.S. should the trade war continue.
Trade negotiations broke down last week with Trump announcing a 50 percent tariff on Canadian goods. Carney subsequently responded with the retaliatory tariffs.
Canada imports approximately $272 billion in U.S. goods every year. Under the new tariff plan, the country will double its existing counter-tariffs on American steel and aluminum products to 50 percent.
New tariffs will also be applied to more than $20 billion of about 900 U.S. goods, including clothing, furniture, video game consoles, electronics and, of course, paper products.
Trump responded to the announcement that Canada was fighting back on tariffs by threatening to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America.”
“The United States is giving serious consideration to changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America in that we don’t expect to doing much business with Ontario any longer. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he wrote on Truth Social.
